significance of cache in processor
- Thread starter puzzle123
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Solution
- Oct 17, 2011
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Cache memory allows the CPU to have processing requests pre-stored & ready for processing by the CPU. Otherwise, since the CPU wokrs much faster than the RAM is able to keep up with, the CPU would be stuck twiddling its virtual thumbs while waiting for the system to respond.
When comparing between different manufacturers (i.e. between Intel & AMD), you can't necessarly rely on the amount of cache memory, as AMD CPUs tend to have more cache but Intel's CPUs can do more work per processor cycle. However, you can use it if you're comparing between differnent chips from the same manufacturer that are "sister" chips. For example, back in the days when "Pentium" meant "the top-line Intel CPU", Celerons were know as "cripple chips" because they took the Pentium designs & eliminated the cache memory. So although the Celerons theoretically had the same performance as the Pentiums (since they had the same clock speeds & architecture), their actual performance was noticeably slower because their lack of cache memory meant a lot of their processor cyclees went unused. AMD did something similar when they first released their Phenom chips (not the Phenom IIs, but the original ones), having both the Phenom lines (CPUs with both "L2" and "L3" caches) & "Athlon" lines (same chips as the Phenoms, but the L3 cache was disabled). The Athlons didn't perform quite as well as the Phenoms, since they lacked L3 cache, but it wasn't quite a "cripple chip" situation since they still had the L2 cache.
Essentially, consider it this way:
-- given the same number of cores, core frequency, & CPU architecture, the CPU with more cache memory is going to perform better
-- given the same number of cores & core frequency, a chip with an older & less efficient CPU architecture needs more L2/L3 cache memory to keep up with the newer CPU
When comparing between different manufacturers (i.e. between Intel & AMD), you can't necessarly rely on the amount of cache memory, as AMD CPUs tend to have more cache but Intel's CPUs can do more work per processor cycle. However, you can use it if you're comparing between differnent chips from the same manufacturer that are "sister" chips. For example, back in the days when "Pentium" meant "the top-line Intel CPU", Celerons were know as "cripple chips" because they took the Pentium designs & eliminated the cache memory. So although the Celerons theoretically had the same performance as the Pentiums (since they had the same clock speeds & architecture), their actual performance was noticeably slower because their lack of cache memory meant a lot of their processor cyclees went unused. AMD did something similar when they first released their Phenom chips (not the Phenom IIs, but the original ones), having both the Phenom lines (CPUs with both "L2" and "L3" caches) & "Athlon" lines (same chips as the Phenoms, but the L3 cache was disabled). The Athlons didn't perform quite as well as the Phenoms, since they lacked L3 cache, but it wasn't quite a "cripple chip" situation since they still had the L2 cache.
Essentially, consider it this way:
-- given the same number of cores, core frequency, & CPU architecture, the CPU with more cache memory is going to perform better
-- given the same number of cores & core frequency, a chip with an older & less efficient CPU architecture needs more L2/L3 cache memory to keep up with the newer CPU
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